Write A Press Release Like A Neanderthal

Posted on | July 7, 2010 | No Comments

Press releases follow a predictable format. You’ve got a line saying “For Immediate Release” and the name of the organization under that. Then you’ve got a title. Maybe a subtitle. Next, the main content; the “news” of the news release. After that, some information about the organization. Finish with the contact information (and make sure that phone number and email address are accurate!).

That’s pretty straightforward, right? But the problem with following a strict formula that everyone else follows is that it’s kind of boring. Not necessarily boring for the writer — but for the recipient. Media newsrooms receive thousands of press releases a day. It’s hard to stand out.

One way of standing out is by using hard-hitting language with an instantly newsworthy angle (so it certainly helps if you actually have big news to report). Headlines are particularly important. For instance, “A Foot in the Door — Accountemps Identifies Five Myths and Realities Behind Temporary Work” sounds way more interesting than “GLR Resources Inc. – Company update“.

A second way of standing out is changing the look and feel of the press release. You can have a bit of fun playing with fonts and language if it’s in keeping with the theme of the thing being promoted. A brilliant example comes courtesy of the Neanderthal Arts Festival happening in Vancouver from July 21 to August 1. I’ve copied the text below, but I highly recommend clicking on the PDF to see what it looked like when it came into my inbox.

Click to see the PDF of the Neanderthal Arts Festival Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEANDERTHAL ARTS THEATRE FESTIVAL

Theatre Festival More Fun Than Play With Rocks

JULY 9 2010 AD – VANCOUVER – You thought theatre extinct like Neanderthal. Theatre not extinct. Neanderthal not extinct!

Me show you what extinct. Listen now human. Or me crush skull.

Humans come Neanderthal Arts Theatre Festival July 21 – August 1, 2010 Cultch Theatre in East Vancouver. Look 6 one-act plays. Four plays by local humans. Two plays by far away human tribes. That not all. Upintheair present Walking Fish Festival as part of Neanderthal Festival. Five short plays by new human artists.

“Festival good time for humans,” say Neanderthal Consultant Og Ra. “Make laugh. Make think. More fun than play with rocks all day.”

Tell friends, Og say. “More good: all bring spear and bear not come in!”

Showtimes and ticket sales, visit http://www.thal.ca/

Neanderthal Arts Theatre Festival Shows Descriptions
(Note from Media Rep Tok Bok: “Theatre humans insist write descriptions Neanderthals no understand. Tok Bok angry. Tok Bok go get axe.”)

Plays By Local Humans

The 4H Club. A brazenly comedic look at the follies of the newest incarnation of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The story spans the past century as the dysfunctional quartet of Death, Famine, War and Pestilence barge their way through history.

The Hanging Judge. In a cemetery outside 17th Century London, two trolls meet by the discarded corpse of a hanged judge. The mangier troll, Blemish, has brought a bag with him inside which is a bound man. Hilarity ensues.

Nigeria. Peter has had an experience in Africa — perhaps magic. Kris is fairly certain the magic lies in “freemarket” libertarianism business thought. Joan doubts all of them. Sebastian, Joan’s husband, is mysteriously absent.

Tiny Replicas. Simon and Ethan want a baby. Unfortunately, neither of them has a womb. But when four people come together to create a new life, someone’s bound to feel left out.

Plays By Far Away Humans

Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show. Behind every barrel, every economic projection or environmental scandal, there are people. At the heart of the world’s largest energy project at Alberta’s Highway 63, theatre creators from across Canada blend verbatim and improvisation.

Countries Shaped Like Stars. The courtship of Gwendolyn Magnificent and Bartholomew Spectacular is a tale of love best heard through a tin-can telephone. With performer-operated lights, water glasses, whirly winds and a mandolin, they create the sounds and images of a landscape altered by regret.

Neanderthal Theatre Arts Festival Media Contacts:

Tok Bok, Neanderthal Media Rep
To contact Tok, send message chiseled onto rock at cave #3, Vancouver BC.
No Phone
No Email

Andrew Templeton, Human Media Rep
778 896 2844
andrewtempleton@yahoo.ca

Remember, It’s All For A Good Cause. Those Poor, Poor Neanderthals